Free Things to Do in Denver (and Beyond) This Week

Yeehaw! The 120th National Western Stock Show has stampeded into town; to celebrate Denver’s cowtown roots, the City and County Building is still glowing and will stay lit until the National Western ends on January 25.

Other entertainment options this week look bright, too. MLK events have started, and will run through the national holiday next Monday.

For ticketed events around town, check our weekly list for one-off activities worth the price of admission. Now keep reading for free things to do in Denver (and beyond) over the next week.

Ongoing

America 250 – Colorado 150
Through 2026
Around the state
Happy 150th birthday, Colorado! On August 1, 1876, Colorado became a state, and there will be celebrations all year — at the same time this country is celebrating its 250th anniversary. Find a full list of the activities at Am250CO150.org, and don’t miss the related exhibits at the History Colorado Center: Moments That Made US and 38th Star: Colorado Becomes the Centennial State.

Thornton Yesterday, Thornton Today, Thornton Tomorrow
Daily, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Thornton Arts & Culture Center Annex, 9211 Dorothy Boulevard
When Sam Hoffman purchased the land that would one day become the City of Thornton and began building homes in 1954, he envisioned a thriving community that could stand on its own — a dream realized just two years later when Thornton officially became a city in 1956. Thornton is celebrating its seventieth anniversary withThornton Yesterday, Thornton Today, Thornton Tomorrow, an exhibit that opened January 5 and runs through the year.

SCFD Free Days
Locations and dates vary
Thanks to the sales tax you pay into the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District, many arts institutions around the metro area offer occasional free days and programs. The Plains Conservation Center operated by the Denver Botanic Gardens will be free on January 15; there’s no admission at the Denver Botanic Gardens facilities on York Street and at Chatfield Farms on January 19. Wings over the Rockies is having a free day on January 17, too! For upcoming bargains, check the SCFD site.

Light the Lights 2025
Daily through Sunday, January 25, 5:45 and 6:45 p.m.
Denver City and County Building
The City and County Building will glow from now through the Stock Show, with a fifteen-minute light show coordinated to a soundtrack of classic holiday songs with an epic, cinematic twist. The show repeats daily Tuesday through Sunday at 5:45 and 6:45 p.m., with static lights from dusk until 10:45 p.m. (there are only static lights on Mondays, because of the Denver City Council meeting). And the shows continue through the Stock Show!

Winter of Reading 2026
Through February 28
Any Denver Public Library
Read alert! Winter of Reading, Denver Public Library’s annual reading challenge for adults, has kicked off. The official game board includes 24 flexible activities; if you complete five in a row, you can win prizes. “These days, it can be hard to disconnect from our digital screens,” says Nicolle Davies, the new city librarian. “Our Winter of Reading challenge encourages people to connect with the community and engage with our library services in ways they probably haven’t imagined before.” The gameboard is aailable in several languages; you can pick one up at any library or download it from denlib.org/wor, where you can also find more info.

This Week

“I Am the Dream”: Aurora Honors Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Wednesday, January 14, 6 p.m.
Aurora History Museum, 15151 East Alameda Parkway
Aurora has a week of celebrations honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., all under the theme “I Am the Dream.” Today’s event is a panel discussion on the local legacy of Dr. King with moderator Stephanie Daniel, senior managing editor at KUNC and award-winning host of “The American Dream”; she’ll be speaking with
History Colorado’s Terri Gentry; Samuel Gebremichael, president of Colorado Ethiopian Community; Adam Dempsey Morgan, producer of “When a King Came to Town” documentary; and Jovan Mays, Aurora’s first poet laureate. Find the complete schedule here.

Resolution Reset Week
Through Saturday, January 17
National Grocers stores
National Grocers got its start as the Vitamin Cottage, founded in Lakewood in 1955, and became a national change. This week, it’s offering a five-day celebration packed with wellness-inspired freebies, savings and sweepstakes.

Wide Open @ the Stockyards
Through January 25, 2:30 p.m. to midnight
Livestock Exchange, 4701 Marion Street
Yeehaw! Although you need to a grounds admission pass to enter the National Western Stock Show, you can reach Wide Open @the Stockyards without a ticket. This pop-up has taken over the former Stockyard Saloon space in the Livestock Exchange, where it’s serving barbecue from Riot BBQ (kitchen opens at 10 a.m.) and offering live music every day starting at 2:30 p.m. Joe Wren returns from 2:30 to 6 p.m. and again from 8:30 p.m. to midnight on January 14. Check our story on the Wide Open, and get the full music schedule here.

Grounded
Thursday, January 15, 4 to 7 p.m.
Center for the Arts Evergreen, 31880 Rocky Village Drive, Evergreen
The Colorado South Asian Artists Group will host an opening reception for Grounded, its new exhibit with 29 South Asian artists exploring culture, identity and belonging through diverse artistic voices. The evening will include a live Kolam drawing and an interactive installation. Alert: Postponed from January 8 because of weather.

Family Reunion and 50: A Half-Century of Art – Celebrating a Legacy of Creativity: Opening Reception
Thursday, January 15, 6 to 9 p.m.
Arvada Center for the Arts, 6901 Wadsworth Boulevard
For fifty years, the Arvada Center has been a home for visual arts in Colorado, showcasing diverse voices, fostering creativity and shaping the cultural fabric of our region. 50: A Half-Century of Art includes a timeline of past exhibitions, a selection of works from landmark shows , and a video reflecting on the program’s impact through the voices of current and past staff members. The show kicks off with an opening reception with Cipriano Ortega, with live music by his band Los Lo Los, and a beer tasting by Ramblebine Master Brewer Eli Gerson. RSVP here.

The Long View: Making Art a Part of Life
Friday January 16, 4 to 7 p.m.
Downtown Aurora Visual Arts, 1405 Florence, Aurora
Linda Graham founded DAVA in 1993 and was its first executive director. This exhibition devoted to her work, curated by Viviane Le Courtois, celebrates Graham’s work as she continues to experiment with ceramics and other materials while supporting the creative community. After this opening reception, the show will be on view through February 6.

Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: The Everlasting Message
Friday January 16, 5:30 p.m.
Silver Creek High School, 4901 Nelson Road, Longmont
Sunday, January 18, 2:30 p.m.
Jewish Community Center, 6007 Oreg Avenue, Boulder
Boulder County is hosting two events in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King. Gather for pizza and fellowship before the program that focuses on Dr. Martin Luther King’s message in today’s world. RSVP for the Longmont event here, and the Boulder event here.

Denver Union Station Broncos Watch Party 
Saturday, January 17, 4 p.m.
Union Station, 1701 Wynkoop Street 
Denver Union Station is hosting a Denver Broncos Watch Party featuring big screens and DJ Chris spinning tunes in the Great Hall during commercial breaks and halftime. Admission is free; you can buy craft beers from Terminal Bar and food from Terminal Bar Kitchen, Camino by Ultreia, Milkbox Ice Creamery and other Denver Union Station partners while cheering on the Broncos.  

Northern Colorado Wildlife Center Art Walk Fundraiser
Saturday, January 17, 4 to 7 p.m.
2637 Midpoint Drive, Suite E, Fort Collins
Ccreativity and wildlife conservation come together at this event, where the sale of art will go to supporting the rescue, rehabilitation, and release of injured and orphaned wildlife.

No Enemies: Call & Response Workshop
Sunday, January 18, 2 to 5 p.m.
Cookie Factory, 425 West Fourth Avenue
What does the present moment call for? What is your response? What is our response, collectively? Can advocacy through music bring our community together? Jamie Laurie, aka Jonny 5 of Flobots, invites you to explore these questions by raising your voice and experiencing the power of song as a tool for protest, mobilization and community defense. This gathering at Cookie Factory — currently showing the exhibition Gary Simmons: Rush — will be an immersive demonstration of creative resistance.

Plan Ahead:

MLK Marade
Monday, January 19, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
City Park to the Colorado State Capitol
The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Colorado Holiday Commission is hosting the annual MLK Marade (march/parade). The event starts with speeches and a ceremony at the MLK statue in City Park, then heads west on Colfax Avenue to the Colorado State Capitol for more celebration. (Normally, the event ends in Civic Center, but that’s out because of construction — but at least this portion of Colfax is more accessible than last year!)

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Performance with Motus & The ReMINDers
Monday, January 19, 3 p.m.
Dairy Arts Center, Gamm Theater, 2590 Walnut Street, Boulder
Motus Theater presents its fourth annual arts-based event honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s fight against poverty and racism, with special guest The ReMINDers. The duo will present musical responses to Motus’s Youth Behind & Beyond Bars autobiographical performance, which shares the experiences of adults who survived the juvenile justice system. Boulder County DA Michael Dougherty will sit with the storytellers to co-read their narratives and reflect publicly on their impact.

Do you know of a great free event? We update this list throughout the week; send information to editorial@westword.com.